Grant Belthion
Grant Belthion was the twenty-fifth monarch of Dorio. He was renowned for seizing the nation from Albus III in the War of the Dorian Houses, and subsequently being poisoned. Early life Grant was born in 412 DR, and from an early age, his father Edric instilled in him cynicism and anger towards the Therenane dynasty, who Edric accused of stealing Dorio from the Belthions and driving it into the ground. Thus, Grant grew up viewing the Therenanes as ineffective and cruel. In 429 DR, Edric died of gout, and Grant took power; he was determined to recapture Dorio, but was forced to wait for his opportunity. Buildup to war In 432, King Albus III came to power, and began trying to petition the restless governor Aberforth Canting to release Bicana. Grant was pleased by the new king, as Albus seemed weak and susceptible to being overthrown. When Canting was assassinated and Albus hastily liberated Bicana, Grant found a number of lords agreeing with him about the king's weakness, and when Albus acquitted Canting's assassin, Leonidas Tudas, that was the final straw. Grant went into open war against the king, and was able to pull a number of old noble families to his side. War of the Dorian Houses The first battle of the War of the Dorian Houses, the Battle of Cabalonvale, happened on 10 Hortiflos 433. As dominant families like the Cantings, the Hallerans, and the Riveses sided with Grant, the Belthionists reached an early lead; however, the peasants were largely in favor of the Therenanes, owing to Evan I's social mobility story. Thus, the war proved to be bloody and difficult, and the sides were close to an impasse for a long time. Then, in 436, Albus himself started riding out with his troops, and Grant saw the opportunity. He summoned his generals and ordered them to prioritize capturing the Dorian king alive whenever possible, and sure enough, Bertram Canting succeeded in capturing Albus at the Battle of High Belt that summer. Grant then took the crown, claiming victory in the war. He was met with several riots, but was able to prevent serious damage with the threat of executing Albus. Reign Since he almost definitely had enemies throughout the nation, Grant was moderately paranoid for most of his rule. He frequently fired and replaced his advisors, and was never without a small handpicked squadron of guards. As riots periodically broke out in the cities, Grant frequently had to resort to his earlier threat; however, he never actually intended to kill Albus, as he would lose his leverage. In Metigrans 440, Albus was freed in a covert operation, and Grant began combing Cantingvale for the escapee king. However, Albus had been spirited to the home of a Therenanist noble who was able to hide him from the search teams, and so he was free to plot. Thus, in Glacagras that year, Albus and his allies bribed Grant's food taster at a feast, and Grant was fatally poisoned. Personal life Grant married Elba Heirlance in 432, mostly to shore up his alliances in expectation of the upcoming war. He had little interest in her, though, and they did not have a child until 438, when Grant felt relatively secure in his position. After Grant's assassination, Elba fled Dorio with her two-year-old son, and they lived out their days in Leguna. Category:Dorians Category:Belthion Family Category:Monarchs Category:Military Leaders